


a chest hum, a black gun, and forty dollars

by ohcinnamon



Series: the fallen - winged!fob au [4]
Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 14:15:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,078
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13859451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohcinnamon/pseuds/ohcinnamon
Summary: Andy pauses, trying his best to look reassuring. In truth, he’s still not sure what to do to make it better. He’s not sure if anything he says even can make it better, but damn it, he’s going to try. “I know it’s hard right now, but one day it won’t be, I promise. We’ll be out of here and somewhere better.”or: it's joe's birthday and they have nowhere to sleep, but damn it, if andy isn't going to try his hardest to get the boy some goddamn zebra cakes.





	a chest hum, a black gun, and forty dollars

**Author's Note:**

> just a reminder that these oneshots/fics are NOT in chronological order. however, i will be posting the date at the top of every part so that you can get a general idea of when these events are occurring.
> 
> important: if you actually want to understand this fic and its' circumstances, read [this post](http://trohmenace.tumblr.com/post/163933751212/wingedfob-au) or check out [this account](http://wingedfob.tumblr.com). it explains everything from how feather colors work to different headcanons. as always, thanks for reading, and i hope you enjoy.
> 
> (title from "south" by hippo campus)

_ September 1997 — _

 

Andy rolls out of bed reluctantly, stretching far above his head and letting his wings unfurl so they they have time to be free before he inevitably has to cover them up later. His translucent feathers catch the sunlight and spill rainbow colors all over the wall; he’s never going to get tired of having such unusual feathers, especially with the way they reflect the light. It’s the one thing about himself he actually likes, besides  _ maybe  _ his resilience. Maybe he’ll get used to sticking out like a sore thumb among the humans, maybe he won’t. Still, this is the one thing he has that nobody can take away from him, and he’s clinging to it and never letting go.

After he slips into clean clothes and pulls his hair into something resembling a messy bun, he nudges the younger boy awake, ignoring the hunger pang in his stomach. It’s  _ Joe’s  _ birthday, after all. Whatever money they have goes to him, today. “Come on, buddy, wake up. It’s time to go.”

Today’s the day they finally leave Gabe’s tiny, ramshackle place in the suburbs for good and make their way into the city, where people will be more accepting, and hopefully Andy can get a job. Bumming off of Gabe isn’t going to cut it for much longer, especially since Andy knows how much of a toll it takes on him. He already works two jobs that he miraculously managed to get to support him and his roommates; Andy doesn’t think having two more people in the house have really benefited him over the past month. 

Besides that, it would be almost impossible for Andy to get a job here. He’s barely been in this world for a few months, definitely not long enough to warm up to all of the humans in it or for him to pass. Gabe knows how to pass, how to tuck his wings and be inconspicuous. It would take a lot longer for Andy to learn, and he can’t keep taking a toll on Gabe like this. It’s time to go.

“Thanks for letting us stay with you for so long, Gabe; I  _ will  _ pay you back,” Andy reassures him, watching out of the corner of his eye as Joe zips up his jacket, ties his shoes. “Just as soon as I can get the kid into school and find a job to hold both of us down.”

“Really, Andy,” Gabe murmurs, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Didn’t you only Fall a few months ago? It’s perfectly fine to have to lean on other people for a while. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t have Trav and Bilvy.”

Travis and William, Gabe’s roommates, are sleeping in the other room, doubled up in one bed since Andy and Joe have had to borrow a bed when they arrived around a month ago. Andy’s learning that it’s more and more common for their kind to travel in groups, or at least not to stick it out alone. Even if they never knew each other in their past lives, they have to look out for each other. It’s not like anyone else will. 

“I know, but still,” Andy mumbles, shoving his hands into his pockets awkwardly. His hand brushes over the small amount of money they have; he can count it in about five seconds or less. It’s forty dollars. He has forty dollars to his name. That’s painful to even think about, especially with the life he used to have in The Ethereal. “I don’t like owing people, especially ones I’ve barely known for a month or two. I’ll make it up to you.”

“Barely known,” Gabe mocks, clicking his tongue. “Judging by that standard, you’ve barely known that kid, too, but I swear it’s like you two are attached at the hip. I’ll never understand what made you take him under your wing like that.”

Andy just shrugs helplessly, turning to look at Joe as he packs up his bag. His curly hair falls in his eyes, which are still bright blue and hopeful, despite everything they’ve gone through in the past few months. His wings make him look even younger, light blue feathers so soft and fluffy they look like baby down that just never went away. A pang of sadness strikes his heart; Joe was too young when he Fell. Too young to know this kind of life. “He needed someone, he was twelve. And I think I needed someone, too. He’s like a brother to me now; I couldn’t get rid of him even if I wanted to.” He stops for a second, a smirk crossing his face. “Plus, aren’t Travie and Bill both younger than you? I could say the same for you, Gabe.”

Gabe smiles right back at him, a knowing gleam in his dark eyes. “Touché, Hurley. I love those two. Wouldn’t give them up for the world. Still, be careful out there. It can’t be easy watching out for two people like you do.”

“Joe’s as good at taking care of himself as the rest of ‘em,” Andy says, shoving the last of his belongings into his own bag. He’s got canned goods, clothes, water, blankets; Joe’s got his own supply pack, too. They’ll be okay. “We can handle it.”

“Well, if you ever need us...you know where we are,” Gabe offers, still grinning at him. “We’re here for you. Come back whenever you need to. You know where to find us.”

“Thank you,” Andy says, smiling softly in gratitude. “I’ll be back to pay you back and visit as soon as I can.”

And then they’ve hit the street, bulky clothes cloaking their wings, loaded backpacks hanging off their backs, with their faces to the sun and their backs toward the subdivision Gabe and Travie and Bill call home. 

Andy squints to make out the smudges on the horizon; the Chicago skyline is stark and startling against the suburbs surrounding it. As safe as the suburbs may seem in normal respects, they belong to the humans, the  _ normal  _ people. He’s not sure how Gabe and the others have managed to stay here for so long. He needs to get into the city, where they can get  _ help  _ and where people will accept them. It’s a long trek, at least a few days’ worth if they want to go without being spotted and make it there as smoothly as possible, but it’s going to be worth it.

“Do you remember what day it is?” Joe asks nonchalantly, kicking a rock along as they walk. The thick winter coat covering his wings sits awkwardly on his lanky frame, especially because it’s not yet cold enough to be wearing it. Still, it’s better to be safe than sorry. He’d take being hot over being beaten up any day — they’d learned that the hard way.

“Of course I do,” Andy replies, nudging him in the side with his elbow. His stomach growls, and he’s reminded of just how hungry he is, how hungry they  _ both  _ are. He sees a neon light in the corner of his vision, squints to make it out. It’s the storefront of a gas station, which is always good to see. It means cheap food and no questions asked. “Come on, birthday boy, let’s go get you some treats. You deserve it.”

Twenty minutes later, they sit on the curb outside the convenience store, sharing a pack of Zebra Cakes and an extra-large blue raspberry Icee (well, Joe eats the Zebra Cakes, since Andy really is doing his best to be vegan, but they do share the Icee). It’s getting cold out, since autumn has just started, and Andy’s worried about where they’re going to sleep tonight — he knows where the nearest shelter is, but they’d probably have to hide their wings; he’s not sure how friendly those people are toward their kind. If worst comes to worst, he can go crawling back to Gabe for another night. Gabe would probably let them stay longer if he asked, but Andy hates feeling like he’s a burden, or like he’s infringing on someone’s privacy. 

He’s going to try to find a better place for them, he really is. Joe’s twelve —  _ thirteen  _ now, but still. He needs a stable home. He needs somewhere to go to school. He needs a  _ family _ . And even if Andy is the only family Joe’s got now, he’s gonna do his damn best to give him a better life. He knows Gabe’s got some friends farther into the city that might let him crash for a while, long enough to pick up a job, earn enough money so that they can get a real place. He’ll make a better life for them — he  _ has  _ to.

“Thanks, Andy,” Joe says all of a sudden, looking up at him with a melancholy gaze. There’s still crumbs in the corner of his mouth, and his tongue is blue, but it doesn’t make it any less sincere. “I know we don’t really have the money for this right now. You didn’t have to do this for me.”

“Don’t say that,” Andy retorts, frowning. “So yeah, maybe we don’t have a lot of money right now, but everyone deserves at least a little something for their birthday, especially you. I just feel bad that I can’t do  _ more _ for you.”

“You’re here for me even when nobody else is,” Joe supplies, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “That’s more than enough.”

Andy just shrugs, pulling his knees close to his chest, and wraps his wings around himself. He can see his reflection in the puddle beside him; his hair is getting long, ratty. He sighs, resting his cheek on one knee and gazing over at Joe. His hair is getting unruly, too, the curls thick and wild as they in his face.  _ Well, just add “haircuts” to the infinite list of things I need to do. _ “You’re here for me, too. I don’t know what I’d do if I had to be alone.”

It’s true — everyone always talks about how caring he must be to take Joe, quite literally, under his wing, but it had felt a lot more like cowardice than bravery at the time. He’s scared to be alone, he knows that much. Having anyone with him, even if they’re four years younger, still makes him feel safer than going it all on his own. Companionship is infinitely better than loneliness.

Andy pauses, trying his best to look reassuring. In truth, he’s still not sure what to do to make it better. He’s not sure if anything he says even  _ can _ make it better, but damn it, he’s going to try. “I know it’s hard right now, but one day it won’t be, I promise. We’ll be out of here and somewhere better.”

“I wish we could fly away,” Joe muses, staring at his reflection in the same puddle Andy had been gazing at before. “I wish it didn’t take so much energy to lift off in this world. I wish I could fly farther than two blocks before having to land. Maybe then we’d get somewhere faster.”

“You’ll learn,” Andy comforts him, pushing the Icee back to him so he can have the last of it. “I’ll learn, too, and we’ll be able to fly a lot farther someday. We’ll go somewhere we know we’re safe, and we’ll have a ton of friends just like us, and everything will seem so good we won’t even remember how bad we had it. Today, though, if we want to get to that place, we have to walk. Can you do that for me?”

Joe nods, and he feels determination settle in the pit of his stomach to get them there as soon as he can. He’s not gonna tell Joe he doesn’t know where they’re sleeping tonight; where they’re going to sleep  _ any  _ night, for that matter. He wants to at least make it seem like he has a plan, so that at least one of them can have some slight sense of security. He’s a kid. Andy’s not going to let him worry about it more than he has to. 

Worries, in general, are going to have to be reserved for a later day. Today is Joe’s birthday, and all that matters right now is that he enjoys it. The rest can be forgotten.


End file.
